Last minute reading for the Nebula Awards? Try my short story "We are the Abikus!" It's one of the stories on the Locus Magazine recommended list by Paula Guran and the SFWA nebula awards reading list. Read it here and go nominate it! www.thedarkmagazine.com/we-are-the-a...
Collage of images, zodiac wheel, solar system planets in a straight line, scorpio constellation, virgo constellation, text saying the villain and text saying the hero
ATLA x WICKED
Calypso must steal 12 divine amulets in order to regain her powers and seek revenge against her enemies.
Villain FMC
Hero MMC
Hate at first sight
Destroy the world, dont save it
#questpit #Q #YA #F
A nine image moodboard of a deer skull, a boy with the face blurred out, a wolf's maw, a note saying "this is gay", a boy being beckoned into trees, a raven, hands digging into green undergrowth, two hands making a pinkie promise, and feet hanging off a ledge.
DON’T LET THE FOREST IN x Over the Garden Wall
🏳️⚧️ boy Owen has come home from an 11-month captivity in the woods by killing the monster that held him, but when he starts changing, he realizes whoever kills the monster must replace it. #questpit #Q #YA #H #feraltransboys
Text: An agent’s guide to When the Magpie Flies by M H Wottenmoss. Background of mountains, trees, and a giant mushroom. A magpie flies in the sky.
Pitch: Magpie of Lornwhen, hobbyist scholar and incurable troublemaker, dreams of becoming a Conduit. As the realm’s only defense against monstrous spirits, Conduits are beloved and privileged—and it’s Magpie’s best chance to escape the undertow of poverty. When a spirit chooses her for the honor, marking her with a cold, entrancing touch, her dream is suddenly within reach. To fully ascend as a Conduit, Magpie, alongside the other newly-chosen, must embark on a journey into the heart of the spiritwoods. The only thing holding her back is her best friend, Calladonna. There are rumors about how Conduits are changed by the mysterious journey, and Calla can’t shake the feeling that if Magpie leaves, she won’t come back. Determined to reassure her, Magpie convinces Calla to come along in secret, hidden from the other Conduits. For the first time, Magpie’s future is bright and shining—until one of the other Conduits turns up dead, and it seems like Calla may be to blame.
Comps: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: clueless lesbians, murder and betrayal, journey of ascension. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: found family, humor and darkness, perilous quest. Also featuring undiscovered magic, monstrous spirits, chaotic academia, ill-advised rituals, haunted forest, queer & autistic ensemble cast, giant mushrooms, original music
Opening lines: The world went dark just after she jumped off the roof. In one moment she could see the clocktower before her, the ledge beneath its defunct face familiar and inviting, and in the next there was nothing. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, necessarily, but damn if that wasn't inconvenient timing.
#agentguide for WHEN THE MAGPIE FLIES (81k queer fantasy)
When troublemaker and hobbyist scholar Magpie is chosen by the spirits, she breaks an ancient tradition rather than leave her best friend behind—and brings the wrath of spirits and humans alike down upon the realm.
#questpit #Q #F
The image shows a horror-comedy novel cover titled "DAD BODIES." The top of the cover reads "THE GAME JUST TOOK A DAD TURN" with "DAD" in a different color. The background features a haunted house with multiple towers and illuminated windows against a dark backdrop. At the center is a 20-sided die (D20) used in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, with visible numbers including 1, 7, 13, and 19. The die is surrounded by red blood splatter effects. At the bottom of the cover are six men with expressions of terror and shock. One man is wearing a white shirt over his head. These men are the dads referenced in the title.
CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END × KNIVES OUT
When their detective friend is murdered during their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like NPCs in a badly written campaign.
#QuestPit #A #H #M #Q
Potions Unincorporated is written on a black journal with ivy stems and a mushroom on the cover. The tropes are listed with arrows on the right side: Grumpy x Sunshine, Found Family, Evil Pharma Potion Company, Plant Magic, Chronic Illness Rep, Cozy Vibes
The Pitch is written on a lavender field background: A curmudgeonly witch with a chronic illness must work with a cheerful thief to stand up to a greedy pharmaceutical company
A garden of comps is written on a leaf. The background is brown soil with plants next to comp titles: Legends and Lattes, The Spellshop, Howl's Moving Castle, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and Under The Whispering Door.
A snippet highlights the main character's relationship with her familiar, Toad. In the snippet they discuss Linatta's ex girlfriend and Toad's hatred of hats. A book is open below the image and has wildflowers growing out of the inside spine.
POTIONS UNINCORPORATED
Think HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE x THE SPELLSHOP
💜 Chronic Illness Rep
🌱 Plant Magic
💚 Bisexual Witches
🐈⬛ A Snarky Familiar
😈 Evil Pharmaceutical Potion Company
☀️ Grumpy X Sunshine Romance
☕ Cozy Vibes
#QuestPit #Q #A #R #F #chronicillnessrep #ownvoices #LGBTQ #cozyfantasy
This image is a book cover design for a novel titled "Happy Death Inc." by B. Van Bodegom. The cover is divided into three distinct horizontal sections: 1. Top Section: Features a cartoonish blue sky with white clouds and a bright sun. At the top, a tagline reads: "How much would you pay to die with a smile?" The word "HAPPY" appears in large, playful, hand-drawn-style font, partially overlapping the sky background. 2. Middle Section: A photograph of a deceased man in a suit, lying in a casket. He has an exaggerated smile on his face, almost unnaturally wide and clean, suggesting artificial enhancement or post-mortem alteration. Overlaid on this image is the word "DEATH" in the same large font as the previous word. 3. Bottom Section: A cartoon city skyline in pastel tones, similar in style to the top sky background. The word "INC." is overlaid prominently in the same large font. At the very bottom, in smaller capital letters, it says: "A Novel by B VAN BODEGOM"
BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE
Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag.
#QuestPit #A #S #SF #W
A refreshed introduction to WHISPERS OF THE SEA, a YA Fantasy that will embark soon on its query journey. Featuring: Native Hawaiian Rep Cultural Identity Setting as a Character
The second slide showcases the pitch: WHISPERS OF THE SEA follows the story of a teenage girl who embarks on a journey to rescue her uncle after he was mysteriously captured by a group of uniformed men sailing under the royal flags of a faraway kingdom. Keahi must voyage across the seas to this distant isle where she’ll team up with a boy to track her uncle’s whereabouts. But in order to understand the dangers that lurk ahead, she’ll be forced to uncover a lifetime worth of secrets—and she must do so before it’s too late.
The third slide indicates that WHISPERS OF THE SEA might appeal to fans of: Disney’s Moana, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle. The book includes the following tropes/themes: found family, self-discovery within cultural identity, Hawaiian-inspired mythology, and adventure.
The final slide includes a snippet from the book that reads: “Keahi’s legs were immobilized as her body tried to make the decision her mind could not. The feeling was strange for she had dreamt countless of times about leaving the island, only to seize the opportunity and awaken to find that she had been sold a nightmare instead.”
MOANA x SHADOW AND BONE
A refreshed introduction to WHISPERS OF THE SEA, a YA Fantasy that will embark soon on its query journey.
Featuring:
🌊 Native Hawaiian Rep
🌊 Cultural Identity
🌊 Setting as a Character
#QuestPit #YA #F #W #OwnVoices #AgentsGuide
A pitch card for YA fantasy The Pirate, The Princess, and John by @saraduranauthor, marked “Now Querying” with a gold star noting “5 full requests and counting.” The book is a standalone, complete at 82,000 words.
I’m excited to share this #pitchcard for THE PIRATE, THE PRINCESS, and JOHN, the YA fantasy novel I #amquerying, feat:
🏴☠️ LGBTQIA+ rep
👑 non-western setting
🌸 anti-colonial lens
🏴☠️ girls w/ swords
👑 besties-to-lovers
🌸 friendship > everything
#QuestPit #YA #F #LGBT #Q
Sex, money, & drugs rule a future America-can you imagine? Those like May struggle to survive, only dreaming of HealthCorp's cure-all pill. But after becoming entangled (literally & figuratively) w/ the CEO's son, she can't lay back & take it. Not anymore. #QuestPit #A #R #SFF #Q
Red clouds; hot sun; fire; pink clouds; hot sun over Los Angeles; silhouette of woman with red background
16yo Candy is the most hated person in every school she attends, simply because she has red skin. Killing a beloved green classmate doesn’t help…
🥵 climate fiction
🏳️🌈 queer friends to lovers
🫂 found family
🍴 cannibal fun
🧬 unique genetic abilities
#questpit #Q #YA #SF #H #writingcommunity
Mood board. Monsters, magic, love interest, dungeon, power, sisters
In a world unraveling beneath prophecy, two sisters bound by cursed blood and haunted desire must resist the god who would consume their magic, and destroy everything they love to possess it. Ya adult crossover, 99k, dark romantic fantasy, professionally edited
Tropes and themes. Slow burn, morally Grey, twists and betrayals, femine rage, found family
Comps titles: The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Court of Wings and Ruin, An Emchantment of Ravens, One Dark Window. Spotify playlist
For #literaryagents seeking:
🔥 a slow-burn that smolders
💔 trauma that scars but doesn’t define
✨️ the radical power of women healing each other in a world that told them not to survive.
…and a girl who stops running from her nightmares, and becomes one instead. 🖤
#questpit #Q #DF #RF #YA #A
#QuestPit #A #FR
Assistant to the Villain X Nightmare Before Christmas
Dark times are upon Narissa’s charming town, with the Snow Queen’s antics freezing the economy, but a clumsy debut Overlord is about to change all that—IF Narissa can rally the townsfolk to believe in him
Pitch: When a lonely stained-glass artist is invited to a crumbling country estate to restore a set of windows depicting the haunting story of Tristram and Isolde, he must reassemble the fractured pieces of his memory before a malevolent creeper destroys his last chance at love.
Pitch: When a storm wrecks his island's passenger steamer, sparing only a girl believed to be one of the monstrous Finfolk, a grieving musician must uncover who she really is before more of his people die.
#litagents, I’m currently querying two novels:
🫀 95k gothic horror (left pitch)
🌊 112k upmarket historical (right pitch)
If you love dark, twisty, genre-blending novels in the vein of Emilia Hart and Bridget Collins, let’s talk. 👀
#questpit #A #HF #Q
Clockwise from top left: a girl dancing in the woods, a creepy house, a fire monster, creepy woods, a blackbird and an abandoned factory.
ITxTHE RIVERMAN: Max finds identical photos, taken years apart, & embarks on a summer long quest to ID the girl in the photo & figure out her connection to the serial killer cult leader and the seven girls he's accused of killing. #YA #H #questpit #Q
X Files x The Ipcress File
🔫 High-stakes thriller
🔫 Time travel twist
🔫 Stale beer espionage
🔫 Weird science
🔫 Cold War subterfuge
🔫 Working class hero
🔫 Hunter to hunted
🔫 Antagonist from the future
🔫 Enemy turned ally
🔫 Proles vs privilege
#A #S #T #QuestPit #Q 🦋
When people go missing, ghosts grow restless, and a building force threatens the barrier between this life and the hereafter, these freelance ghost hunters suddenly find that staying out of debt is the least of their problems.
#questpit #h #a #s #q #uf
Title: Revamped
The pitch
Comps: Gideon The Ninth, Voyage of the Damned, Fullmetal Alchemist, Iron Widow
A snippet
ATLAS SIX x HEAVEN OFFICIAL'S BLESSING
💕Dual POV, MCs are a slow burn couple with Tony Stark x Steve Rogers vibes
🧑🏻🔬antagonist is rogue scientist
🩸blood magic
🃏worldbuilding with arcane magic
🔬Alt universe with different science and magic
#QuestPit #Q #A #NA #F #SF #SFF
Thank you so much ❤️
mood board for the book I'm writing: what's pictured: snowy woods, woods, ghost, snowy cabin, blood, trees, footprints in snow, eerie moon and fog
NOT QUITE DEAD YET X GLASS ONION
While at a party in a ❄️ cabin, what Abby doesn't expect is to:
💢see her angry sis after a yr-long feud
💔run into her ex
🔪get stabbed in the back, murdered
👻 As a ghost, she must solve her own murder b4 others die & pass to the afterlife
#questpit #W #A #MY #PR #F #S
A mood board for #FeatherWIP featuring from left to right: The Taj Mahal, a dagger on an elaborately designed carpet, ripples of desert sand, black feathers, ocean waters, a rope with a knot, and Petra, Jordan mountain carvings. In the center box reads "Introducing #FeatherWIP, now querying @karenaparker.com".
#FeatherWIP as Emojis
🐍 ancient Egyptian snake god of chaos
⚔️ enemies to lovers to enemies
🐦 feral bird woman doing feral things
🗡️ epic prologue where two gods kiss
🌍 POC-coded world-building
🌹 queer-normative romance
☸️ wrathful Esoteric Buddhism
#questpit #Q #A #YA #F #POC #LGBTQ+ #ND
Teen in red jumper walking country path, graveyard, young vampire, spooky face ghost, adult chopping herbs, Victorian male and female
Teenager A.J. just wants to help the dead.
Turns out, the living are way worse...
The Ghosts of Llyne is a gothic tinged Lower #YA #PR about the weight of small-town secrets, and the courage it takes to embrace what makes you different.
🌈friendly
👻 friendly
🇬🇧 chills & humour
#Q #Questpit
Kahyla faces a DEMON’S BARGAIN where all the options are bad: fight with soul-destroying magic or lose her family, her beloved, and her life.
Opening line:
Blood and ash, which way through the rocks?
Ending lines:
“And if you find more demons?”
“Then I fight,” she said.
#questpit #F #RF #YA #A #Q
GREEK meets TRUE BLOOD
When a vampire joins a sorority to pledge for immortality, she learns the vampire prince turned her in secret and now holds the key to her fate.
A spicy dark academia romantasy
#questpit #df #rf #q
Cursed with a vengeful gumiho, Mina has spent centuries feeding it souls to become a god—and now she needs just one. But when she falls for her final target, wicked whispers invade her mind, visions of loved ones haunt her, and her body begins to change. As the gumiho consumes her from the inside out, Mina must face her demons and sever the curse—or achieve godhood and lose herself to become something monstrous.
Based on Korean folklore & mythology Told through the eyes of an anti-hero gumiho Set in modern-day PNW Dark, intimate PROSE Psychological unraveling Blends the dread of physical transformation and emotional vulnerability Laced with a slow-burn romance
Hi #questpit! Here's GUMIHO, an Upmarket Horror Romance that was recently selected as a finalist in the horror/paranormal category for the 2025 PNWA Writers Contest.
Inspired by Korean folklore, it explores the gradual descent into grief, madness, & monstrous transformation.
#A #H #R #Q
Moodboard for TSW
Pitch
Themes
Comps
🖤🌑The Shadow Wielders🌑🖤
They tried to bring back the past. Instead, they unleashed a virus that nearly ended the future. Now, in a world overrun by monsters, only those who can weaponise their shadows stand between survival and extinction
*Querying soon* 👀
#questpit #SF #F #YA #W #POC
A Guide To RUNES OF NECROSIS A 95k Dark Academia Adult Science Fantasy By Marceline Greyfield
Eight students in various studies compete to graduate from Araphel Academy and be rewarded with a life inside the Oasis's Upper Chamber. The four lowest-scoring students are expelled to the infinite desert. But when a student on the verge of expulsion murders the top student, an alchemist performs forbidden humanoid alchemy to save their life, and she awakens an arcane parasite that threatens to slaughter the remaining six students and unravel every secret hiding within Araphel Academy.
Themes & Tropes: Quad POV (F/M/NB/F) Alchemist FMC becoming something inhuman Snarky aristocrat MMC with a forbidden power Nonbinary artist whose lies unravel their past Cheery FMC scholar who uncovers a conspiracy LGBTQIA rep Rivals to lovers Fake dating Rotting body (horror) Arcane possession Exorcism gone wrong Descent into madness Comps The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake: Students of various studies working together to uncover secrets about their dying world, knowing not all will survive. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood by Hiromu Arakawa: Protag who breaks alchemic law to save her brother's life, now trying to graduate to Heal her curse and spite the gods Queen of Faces by Petra Lord: Decaying bodies, a cutthroat academy, betrayal through manipulation, and blurred morality lines. Arcane by Christian Linke and Alex Yee: Similar class system and discussions of privilege. (JayVik if rivals to lovers, and CaitVi if Vi grew up in the desert).
QUEEN OF FACES x FMA:B
An alchemist covered in illegal runes to stave off her rotting bones
An artist possessed by an arcane parasite from their father
An academic uncovering the conspiracy behind her dying world
An aristocrat cursed with a forbidden power forced to reveal it
#Questpit #W #A #SFF
Wynnifred is a spoiled heiress, an artistic talent, & a demon summoning prodigy. But the prince of demons she summoned to take over society (& dodge a beloathed fiancé) refuses to obey, & worse - their attraction to each other is undeniable. As dire as an omen.
#questpit #p #a #df #rf #bi4bi
